


No Fire Extinguisher Required

by Auggusst



Series: The Soldier And The Scientist [20]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anger, Coping Mechanisms, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Vulnerability, M/M, Swearing, Yelling, post Age of Ultron, pre-Civil War, processing emotions, steve knows just how to handle him, supportive boyfriend, temper tantrum, tony is an angry boi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-02 08:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18807886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auggusst/pseuds/Auggusst
Summary: Post Age of Ultron, Pre-Civil WarUnderstandably, Tony has a bit of an anger issue. He's got a lot of stuff on his plate. Luckily, Steve is at his side and knows how to dampen the heat. He's done so a million times in the past, and Tony can't thank him enough for it.





	No Fire Extinguisher Required

**Author's Note:**

> Tony is an angry baby. Source: Myself, a very angry Tony kin.  
> Enjoy.

When Tony got mad, nothing would calm him down before he was ready to calm down. He couldn’t help it. The infection of anger simply had to run its course, until the brunet could think clearly again, and once he could, it was fine again. Rational? No. Intense? Absolutely. But Tony was an intense person overall. It was one of the reasons Steve loved him so much. He was an intensely burning fire, warm and comforting yet stinging and overwhelming on occasion. Steve knew how to navigate that fire, knew how to work with it. He knew how and why it burned.

To say Tony was mad a lot was an understatement. He was often irritable, the result of lack of sleep or overwhelming stress, the result of just one too many things going wrong, the result of a life filled with strife. It manifested in pointed scowls, grinding teeth and venomous quips. Tony would lash out often, but not so much at people. Tony did his best to play nice, knew others didn’t deserve his rage. He distanced himself, knew he burned too hot. Instead, he yelled at things: A loose bolt on a machine, the beeping of the microwave, a particularly strong breeze outside, and most of all, himself.

He let out his frustration verbally, fists clenched, volume higher than normal and a string of profanities leaving his lips (some of which were comical). Tony never broke things though. He didn’t hit things really and he certainly didn’t hit people. He’d been on the receiving end of far too many unwarranted smacks in his childhood, and didn’t want to inflict that on anyone else. He was considerate like that.

People called him angry, said he was out of control, but Tony had more self control than Steve saw in other people. Even when he was ridiculously upset, he was careful of those around him. He isolated himself, let out his frustrations in solitude, only returning once he was calm enough to carry on. He was self aware, unlike many others, and took action. Steve hadn’t noticed the pattern until after they began dating. When they argued almost daily he was too absorbed by his own anger to be observant, but now, when his love overshadowed his irritation, Steve noticed a lot more.

They still argued on occasion, but Steve had come to realize that Tony didn’t actually like arguing, especially with Steve, and more often than not tried to get the last word to cut things short, to avoid things from escalating further or saying things he truly regretted. It was a defense mechanism, to keep himself grounded, and to spare others of his wrath. He had seen Tony angry more times than he could count, and had been angry almost as much in turn, but it made him emotional every time, made him wish he could help somehow. There were times where Tony had been angry enough that he was driven to tears, and those times were terrible for Steve. Today was going to be one of those times. He shouldn't have been surprised. They were all recovering from the Sokovia situation, which had occurred merely a week ago. Emotions ran high all around.

Tony was pacing back and forth in his workshop now, fists tightened so hard Steve could see his veins standing out against his skin. His face was flushed and eyes dark, fire dripping from his lips as he relayed the issue. Around a month’s worth of working files had been corrupted, either through outside influence or a major fluke in FRIDAY’s system, and Tony, always confident in his own inventions, didn’t think to back any of the work up before disaster could strike. He lost shipping records, weapons upgrades, and his latest suit design, setting back his plans for the team moving forward. Since they had returned, he dove into his work, either to ease his guilty conscience or for another reason, Steve didn't know.

Steve had been on his way down with some lunch when he heard Tony’s first cry of outrage, and had known that this would be a big one. He set down the food he had brought on the workbench, and listened to the brunet’s explanation, realizing the gravity the situation held in Tony’s eyes. He didn’t laugh, didn’t tease, like some others might. He knew Tony could redo the work probably in half the time, since he’d done it before, but he knew the brunet didn’t like repeating himself, especially as a necessity due to stupid mistakes. Steve could understand the frustration, and knew that the brunet blamed no one but himself. When he was angry at others he cooled off sooner, making excuses for them or coming to see reason, but when he was mad at his own mistakes there was no telling how long it could take. The blond watched his partner boil, leaned against the workbench and silently crossed his arms. He would wait it out supportively.

“For fuck’s sake! God fucking dammit! Stupid, fucking _stupid!_ ” Tony spat, smacking a fist against his thigh. He’d been going for a few minutes now, around seven or eight by Steve’s count, and by the tone of his voice, Steve knew he was close to breaking. The blond stood tight-lipped, knowing it was better not to interrupt. Not yet, at least.

“I’m so—fuck, so much work! I can’t believe this. God _dammit_! I’m so dumb,” the scientist continued, voice lowering in volume. His tone changed, became shakier, dare Steve say, a little whiny, and Tony knew it. He covered his face with his hands, and sat down on the floor, repeating insults in no particular order. Steve knew Tony hated to cry, especially in front of someone else, and was thankful his partner loved and trusted him enough to be so openly vulnerable.

After a few more self insults, the blond heard a sniffle, and knew it was time to step in. Maybe it was a little strange, to have a routine like this, but Tony did plenty of things for Steve’s sake that other people would have questioned. Steve didn’t care what the others thought. He only cared about helping Tony feel better, like the brunet regularly did for him. He exhaled softly and crossed the room, sliding down alongside the scientist and gently brushing a hand through his hair. Tony sighed shakily, brushing tears of frustration from his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I’m really annoying.”

“You’re not,” the soldier replied, petting his hair. “Don’t apologize. You have every right to be upset.”

“I’m so pissed. I should’ve known better. I should’ve backed up the fucking files,” Tony whined, dropping his arms into his lap with exasperation.

Steve could see the little crescents of red embedded deep in his skin. Tony had obviously struggled very hard to remain composed. Some would have said he wasn’t composed at all, but Steve knew better. There were tears staining his cheeks now, making his skin red and warm. Tony didn’t bother hiding them from Steve. With the exception of Rhodey and Pepper, Steve was the only one allowed to see Tony cry about real things. Getting emotional during a movie or something was different. He didn’t mind others seeing those tears. Some even found it endearing how he’d get worked up over creative works. Steve found it more endearing that he would rather cry than take his anger out at someone else, though knew the brunet was just inflicting more pain on himself.

Steve wanted to soothe him, to help him forget about it as quickly as possible. “It’ll be fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it right now.”

“I can’t _not_ worry about it right now. Fuck, Steve. It’s such bullshit.” The brunet frowned heavily, squeezed his eyes closed to try and combat the burning of his tears.

The blond exhaled softly. “I know, baby. Here, come here.” He wrapped an arm around Tony’s shoulder, coaxed his stiff partner to melt against him. It took a moment, but with a sigh, Tony deflated, his anger slowly dying. He put a hand around Steve’s midsection, pressed his wet cheek against his chest.

Tony frowned, attempting to settle down. He was still muttering complaints when Steve gathered the sleeve of his dark long-sleeve shirt and brushed away his lover’s tears. Steve said what he could to placate Tony, to convince him that no, he wasn’t stupid, and no one would be upset at the loss, and that Steve had every confidence Tony could recreate the work, if not improve it along the way. Tony resisted the encouragement at first, as usual, but eventually absorbed Steve’s kind words, and fell silent.

The blond pressed a kiss to his hair. He rubbed Tony’s back comfortingly for a moment, until the brunet felt calm enough to draw back, a final sigh signaling his return to baseline.

“Thanks babe,” the scientist said softly. His brown eyes were turned downward, and Steve knew he was feeling self conscious. He always got this way afterwards. He always regretted his behavior, though it was arguably a healthier method of decompression than the things some other people did. Something told the blond that he was discouraged from expressing himself as a youngster, though. It wouldn’t have surprised Steve. Children who lived in the spotlight, especially a spotlight as large as Stark Industries’ were trained to present themselves a certain way, to suppress their thoughts and emotions, and Tony, whether he would admit it verbally or not, had a lot of emotions.

His capacity for feeling astounded Steve. Tony felt the good and the bad at a percentage way higher than the average person. Like with everything in his life, his entire heart was involved, easily damaged as a result. Most people didn’t know that though. Most assumed that Tony was rather indifferent when it came to honest emotions. They saw the façade, thought he was charismatic enough, but somewhat of an ass, and only thought he overreacted on occasion. Steve knew more than that, had come to know it over the years. Unlike Steve, they didn’t know that absolutely anything and everything could worm its way into Tony’s heart, which he tried so hard to guard, and arguably, always failed to. That was alright. It was Steve’s to guard now, and he took his duty seriously, especially where other people were concerned. Steve was rightfully protective of his partner, and was glad Tony was protective in return. It had taken a while for Tony to be so open with Steve, and it took just as long for Steve to open up to him, but both parties were glad they did. It was nice to have someone to rely on, someone to trust with your secrets. It was nice to have someone to be vulnerable with. There were many more secrets to be shared, some that had recently come to light, but...with time, maybe, they would be revealed. There was a distance between them now, a tiny little gap, created by Ultron, and Steve hoped it wouldn't grow.

“Don’t mention it,” the soldier replied earnestly. Comforting the man he loved so much was the least he could do. Tony finally raised his eyes, and they settled on the blond’s face. They were red around the edges, and still wet. His lashes were clumped together, but still so beautiful. Steve admired him, brushed his still-damp cheek with a thumb.

Tony hummed in reply, and leaned up, placing a light kiss to the corner of Steve’s mouth. The blond turned his head a little, so that their lips would meet fully. He poured his love into the kiss, ran his tongue over his partner’s lips. Tony opened his mouth in response, allowed Steve to explore with quiet fervor, until his lips were soft and wet and pink. He pulled back, brown eyes warm and holding affection once more, and Steve was satisfied. Tony sighed and pressed his forehead against Steve’s collarbone.

“I love you,” the scientist said.

“I love you too,” the soldier replied.

There was a pause, where Tony snuggled further into his grasp, and Steve tightened protectively around him. They stayed like that a moment, appreciative of the contact. They’d been together for a year and a half now, and moments like this, just the two of them together, were still appreciated. Steve had come down to share his lunch though, and was starting to feel his hunger keenly.

“You ready to eat now?” the blond asked.

Tony nodded against him. “Yes. Food is good,” he agreed, drawing back. Steve smiled down at him, and Tony couldn’t help but return it a little.

As they ate their sandwiches and shared a bag of chips, Tony couldn’t help but feel absolutely thankful. Yes, he got angry a lot. Yes, his emotions were so overwhelming that they left him blindsided, sometimes physically alongside mentally, and he had to stomp around like an idiot until he felt better. But Tony had Steve, and knew that without his loving partner, things would be way worse. He felt gratitude every day for the blond’s presence in his life, his patience and concern, and most of all his unending understanding love, especially after recent events. Tony's guilt weighed heavily on his mind, and he was sure it would for a long time.

Tony was an angry person, but no amount of anger or any other negative emotion could replace the amount of love for Steve he carried in his heart, and the blond knew it. Tony tried to be better for Steve, always, and with each passing day he tried to make good on his self assigned promise, especially after making such a monumental mistake. He hoped to improve, to find a way to repay the world for what he had done, and wouldn't stop until he did.

Steve, in turn, had never been prouder to call someone his.


End file.
